Sooooo, I was sitting here taking a mini-“break” at work (meetings ALL MORNING and my brain was FRIED) debating fear, regret, and success. I kept repeating….,

“You’re feeling regret, but you aren’t defeated…it’s okay!”

“You’re feeling regret, but you aren’t defeated… it was a decision!”

“You’re feeling regret, but YOU AREN’T DEFEATED!”

Somehow I stumbled upon this article “Iconic Roles and the Stars Who Regret Turning Them Down” … talk about immediate consolation and confirmation that IT’S OKAY…. In short, you can’t avoid making decisions! You never know what the outcome will be, but make the best decision you can using the information and reasoning you have and stand on it. Yes, you may want to kick yourself in the left (and right) butt-cheek afterwards, but YOU MADE A CALL… you were able to do what so many people struggle with…. make a decision! Now, the outcome may not have gotten you the results you desired, but you still stood the course and followed through with the consequences.

No, life isn’t perfect (and neither are our decision making skills… at times), but we can only move forward and take charge of the things that are meant for us if we make the decision to let go and prepare to take hold of whatever’s next (thus the monkey-bars ;)… #Method2MyMADDNESS). Will every decision bring you joy… NOPE! Will you look back and think, “What the HELL was I thinking?!” …..MAYBE :). I’ll be transparent and admit that I should have trusted God A LOT more than I did during one particular decision making process — told myself to “get my faith up!”, lol — but this has been one hell of a learning experience!!!! What touched me most about the article is that the people who passed up great opportunities were still given new opportunities and are still successful.

Some doors only open once… If you miss your chance don’t beat yourself up FOREVER! Count your losses, thank God for the experience, and pray that He will make another way for you to achieve the same goal (#SelfMinistry). My friend, David Mak Thompson, Jr, posted something I know as a Christian woman…but CLEARLY I needed a reminder….

Heck, I wear a ring EVERY DAY that says the SAME THING…. that’s why I bought the darned thing!!! Yes, I have to be ALL IN! No matter what, trust God and move forward standing on his promises.

Proverbs 3:5-6

New King James Version (NKJV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He shall direct[a] your paths.

I will NEVER forget what this feels like…. this heart-ache from a place so deep down I NEVERknew it existed. I went in, guns blazing, somehow got distracted… started stressing, worrying, doubting… and now I’m praying that He’ll trust me again!!! I often choose “the scenic route” first….it comes with some LIFE-LONG lessons, but I’ll get there. There may be a delay, but our destinies haven’t been denied. Sometimes we leap… sometimes we crawl…. other times we pat around in the dark until we find the switch (#random). Never-the-less, every time our name graces the “wake-up” list we’ve been given another chance to get it right. EVERYONE experiences regret, but we haven’t been defeated. So, exhale and repeat to yourself…..

“You’re feeling regret, but you aren’t defeated…it’s okay!”

“You’re feeling regret, but you aren’t defeated… it was a decision! Let’s go back to the drawing board”

Galatians 6:9 KJV
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Don’t Quit

I’ve been a Christian for twenty-three years,” Cheryl said. “I’m just not getting anywhere. I’m as weak as I was when I first accepted Christ as my Savior. I still fail. I just don’t know if it’s worth it.” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she continued to talk about her failures. “By now I know all the right things to do, but I don’t do them. Sometimes I deliberately do something mean-spirited or unkind. What kind of Christian am I?”

“Probably a growing Christian,” I said.

A startled look appeared on Cheryl’s face. “Growing? Did you hear–? ”

“Yes, I heard. But if you weren’t growing, you wouldn’t lament your failures. You’d be satisfied about your spiritual level or tell yourself how good you are.”

“But I’m so discouraged, and I fail God so many times.”

I went on to tell Cheryl she was correct–that she had failed. All of us do at times. If we’re not careful, we allow the devil to point to what we haven’t accomplished and where we have been weak. When that happens, it’s easy to feel bad or want to give up.

That’s not the way of the Spirit. No matter how we mess up our lives, God doesn’t give up on us. The Spirit constantly nudges us.

We can allow our thoughts to dwell on what we haven’t done or how spiritual we ought to be after all these years in our Christian faith. If we focus on what we’re not or what we haven’t accomplished, we are allowing the devil to make advances on the battlefield of our minds.

“Don’t quit. Don’t give up.” That’s the message we need to hear. I think of Isaiah 43:1b-2: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you…; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you.”

This is God’s promise. He doesn’t promise to take us completely out of troubles or hardships, but He does promise to be with us as we go through them. And when God is with us, what is there to worry about?

Pray: God, despite my failures, You are with me, encouraging me not to give up. Please help me to remember that, with Your help, I can win. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.